Whiz of a Friz
by Migitmagee
Summary: I was intrigued by Ms. Frizzle's back story.  A friend of mine came up with the idea that the beloved Valerie Felicity Frizzle is actually Valerie Felicity Weasley.  She lives in America; these are her school days.  Interesting things may occur.
1. Sane?  Who, Me?

Whiz of a Friz

Disclaimer: Ms. Frizzle and the related characters are from the Magic School Bus franchise. The spells and the way magic works are from the Harry Potter franchise. Sadly, I own neither, or I would be much richer than I am now.

Sane? Who, Me?

"Val! Val!"

The world continued on around the redheaded teen. She was absorbed in a science fiction novel, easily seeing in her mind the giant, nearly unstoppable supercomputer gaining free will. The thought was as exciting as it was terrifying. Obviously she didn't want to be ejected into space by a computer turned evil—it would be a minor inconvenience, to say the least—but the thought of giving a machine a personality and being able to be friends with it was intriguing.

"Valerie?"

What kind of machine would she use? Not a computer, that one from the book and the movie had given her the creeps. Besides, computers were being upgraded more and more every year, so it would soon be outdated. And what was the use in being friends with a machine if said machine had no way of being transported? That would be impractical, not to mention cruel to the poor—

"Valerie Felicity Weasley, get your nose out of whatever Muggle book you're reading nowadays and help me with this potion, will you? Please?"

With a guilty start, Valerie snapped her book shut and raced down the short staircase into the common room to help, as she'd promised. "Sorry, Murph," she said contritely. "But really, calling me 'Val' doesn't really get my attention anymore. Everyone here calls me 'Friz' or 'Frizzle'. For obvious reasons." She grinned and ran a hair through her, well, frizzy red hair. It stuck up at so many odd angles that it looked like she'd been electrocuted.

"My name's _Katrina_," the other girl answered in her southern drawl. "Not 'Murph,' that's just weird."

"But your last name's Murphy. Your hair's even redder than mine; you're Irish. 'Katrina' isn't as identifying as 'Murph.'"

"Come on, Val," said her cousin, shaking her head. "Why d'you insist on 'Frizzle' or 'Friz'?"

Valerie looked at her as if her ears had grown feathers. "Because everyone knows who they're talking about? Because there's no confusion?"

"Who could they _possibly_ confuse you with?"

Frizzle looked down and scuffed her socked toe against the floor. "Well...there was that other Valerie who was a senior last year..." Then she shook her head and grinned. "But you know it's not about that. Valerie's just a name. It's got nothing to do with my personality, or my looks, 'cause it's from when I was a baby. If someone heard the name 'Valerie' without knowing it was me, they could only narrow it down to the girls here. When they heard 'Frizzle' or 'the Friz' they'd think of people with frizzy hair."

"I think you just like being weird," Katrina observed dryly, giving the merrily bubbling contents of her cast iron cauldron a stir.

"Murph, you wound me," Friz said with a little gasp, dramatically putting a hand over her heart, her other hand, palm out, on her forehead. "How could you ever suggest such a thing? To imply that I, Frizzle, would actually _enjoy_ such a thing...you give me no credit, no credit at all. You honestly believe that I would stoop to such depths as merely _enjoying_ weirdness?"

Katrina chuckled. "You're hopeless," she told her cousin affectionately.

"That's subjective," came the cheerful reply. Then she changed gears. "So what's the matter with your potion?"

"Thanks, Val, you're the best," she said gratefully. "Well. I was making my hair growth potion for homework, and I really don't want to start over again but I forgot the armadillo bile. It's supposed to be...bottle-green now, according to the book." She checked her Potions book again, then nodded. "Yep, bottle-green. Not this navy color." Katrina looked up at her cousin expectantly with a woeful expression.

Valerie held out her hand for the book. "Lemme see?" Wordlessly, Murph passed it over to her. The frizzy-haired girl's brow furrowed and she chewed on her lip. "Hmm. Yeah, you really need the armadillo bile. The Chinese Chomping Cabbage was supposed to neutralize the bile because if you combine them, then add the pressed caterpillars, nothing will happen. But if you add the bile now the whole thing'll explode." She looked up. "How long do you have before your next step?"

"Six more minutes over a medium flame," Katrina said worriedly. "Val, can you fix it?"

"I think so," she said, flashing a smile. "But only if you call me Frizzle or Friz. And only if I can call you Murph. And it won't be a neat or pretty solution. Deal?"

"Fine! Just help me already!" Murph was getting desperate. Her clock was ticking. This was due the next day, and if she ruined it now she wouldn't be able to get any sleep that night.

Friz's smile widened. "Okay. Put in on low flames. That'll give you about ten minutes. Don't stir as often." She raced upstairs, and soon returned with her own cauldron, as well as a metal lid with a small hole near the edge for it. The girl put the pot over high heat, then put the tip of her wand inside it. "_Aguamenti_," she muttered, and a stream of water poured out of the slim, unassuming stick of willow.

Katrina just gaped. She wasn't even supposed to learn that spell until her next year, and her cousin was a year behind her.

But Valerie was caught up in her work and didn't even notice Murph's expression. Instead she grabbed the container of armadillo bile and put five drops into the water. Then she took a pressed caterpillar and, ignoring the knife her cousin was attempting to hand her, carefully broke it in half and laid it aside.. "Don't think I should cut it," she explained. "Sliced caterpillars are used in shrinking potions. This's a growth potion. I won't tempt fate if I don't have to."

It took two minutes for the mixture to come to a rolling boil. "Shoot, I forgot my gloves," Val muttered to herself. "_Accio dragonhide gloves!_" she called with a practiced flick of her wand, and was rewarded a few seconds later by the black protective gear. The frizzy-haired girl swiftly put them on while Katrina looked on with no little apprehension.

"Why d'you need those?" she asked her cousin nervously. She wasn't liking how this was looking, not one bit.

Valerie shot her a glance. "It's going to explode no matter what we do. I'm trying to minimize and contain it as much as possible with the water and the lid, but I'll need to hold the lid on the cauldron, because it'll still explode. When I tell you to, drop the caterpillar piece through the hole and run back at least ten feet. Got it?" Without looking up to see her Southern cousin's affirmative, though shaky, nod, she put the lid onto the cauldron and held tightly to the contraption and braced herself. "Okay. Drop it in on the count of three. Make sure you run back there after. Don't want the lid to fly off and hit your pretty face." This elicited an audible gulp from Murph, who nevertheless stood with the caterpillar bit outstretched. "Ready? Okay. One...two...THREE!"

Several things happened in quick succession.

Katrina dropped the half of a pressed caterpillar through the hole in the cauldron lid as she'd been instructed, then started to run like hell.

The Friz tightened her grip even more on the pot and its lid.

There was a muffled _BANG_ from inside the cauldron, followed by a loud hiss as air and steam escaped.

Valerie was knocked a step back from the force of the explosion, but kept a firm grip on her pot. She even shook it so that the bile and the caterpillar mixed more thoroughly, which spawned more angry-sounding hisses as the two substances were forced to combine.

After what seemed like ages, but was really only ten seconds, Frizzle grinned and put the cast iron cauldron back onto the flames. "Operation neutralize armadillo bile successful!" she all but crowed. "Another successful experiment!"

"Exper—you mean you've never done that before!" her cousin screeched at her in disbelief.

"No, but hey, lay off! It worked, didn't it?" Valerie exclaimed defensively. "And I've done it with other ingredients, just not these. I made sure you were safe. Nobody was hurt—well, except my hands are killing me, but I can go to the nurse for that. See? No harm done. And if you'd put the bile into the original potion you'dve had a much bigger explosion."

Katrina couldn't argue with her logic. "But what now? I need a lot of armadillo bile, not that watered-down stuff."

Frizzle took the lid off the cauldron and grinned at the yellowish liquid inside it. "We'll get there." Then she winced and rubbed her hands. "I meant it when I said my hands were killing me. Hairline fractures, probably. You'll have to take over from here."

"So you're just leaving me to figure the rest of it out by myself? I don't know what to do, or even what's supposed to happen!" Murph's voice was shrill and had taken on an air of hysteria.

"Don't be silly, I wouldn't do that to you. You're my cousin, I don't want you to get hurt. This part isn't dangerous if you do what I tell you. Stir the watery bile and caterpillar stuff until it boils like water and stops hissing so much." Valerie stood back and continued to rub her hands, grimacing from pain. They were starting to swell up again, but she knew Dr. Vaidya would have her fixed up in a jiffy.

Katrina stirred until the sounds had died down. Four of ten minutes down. "Okay, now what?"

"Put the amount of bile that you need in the cauldron. Then boil it over the highest flame you can get until the water I put in is gone. Then pour it into your cauldron. It'll hiss and steam, but nothing too drastic."

"And that's it?"

Valerie chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. All it takes to fix your homework is me breaking my hands. No big deal."

"Thanks so much," her cousin gushed. "I don't know what I'd have done without you. You sure you're only a freshman, Val? How'd you get so good at potions?"

"Ah-ah-ah. What's my name, Murph?"

Murph sighed. "Fine. How'd you get so good at potions, _Frizzle_?"

Friz grinned. "Let's just say I make a lot of mistakes, and that Dr. Vaidya knows me far better than any freshman, sophomore, or junior here, and better even than most of the seniors. And that my hair wasn't always this wild."

Katrina was instantly concerned. "You have to be careful! One day it'll actually kill you!"

Her cousin laughed. "That's doubtful."

"Seriously though," the sophomore said in her drawl, "why are you a freshman? You could easily have skipped a year or two."

Frizzle looked at her as if she was the crazy one. "Skip years? Are you mental? I have time here to figure stuff out, and I could get paid to help people with their homework, and I get free potions ingredients for my experiments. Plus, if I want to ask any of the teachers anything, they're free sources of information too. Why would I ever want to skip years?"

"Um...so you can get a job and start making money sooner?"

"I don't think so," the freshman scoffed. "I don't know what I want to do yet, and I can earn money on the side when I need to. There's just too much stuff I want to learn."

Murph sighed. "Okay. I don't know why I bother questioning your sanity. You always test out well and truly insane...Friz."

Friz grinned. "You know it." Then she winced. "Okay, I'm going to the nurse. You have five minutes for your hair potion thing. Watch those pots; use my gloves if you need to. Be careful, Murph."

"Bye! And thanks so much."

"Anytime!" Val called back, already heading towards the nurse's office.

Sarah Good Academy was a giant, sprawling, modern school. Though named for a witch who had been killed during the Salem Witch Trials, it had only been built recently, in the 1940's. The building was still trying to work out its own kinks; sometimes random, gaping holes would open up in the middle of the floors, or tunnels and passageways would be fickle and unpredictable and either appear and disappear at random or lead to different places each time. But it was getting there. Students learned to stick to the main hallways and staircases when they were in a hurry and go exploring in their free time, if they were so inclined. And Frizzle was so inclined. She spent all of her free time exploring—all of it, that is, that was free of class, homework, sleep, food, Potions experiments, books, Charms experiments, time with friends, and helping others with homework.

But today her hands were beginning to throb, so she took the most direct route to the nurse's office that she could find. "Dr. Vaidya!" she called out cheerily as she entered the stark white room.

A huff of exasperation came from the inner confines of the room, followed by scolding words spoken in a heavy Indian accent. "Valerie Felicity Weasley! I don't see why the principal doesn't move your dorm right in here, you practically live here anyway. You realize it's the third time this week? And why couldn't you have healed yourself, hm? You know most of the spells already. Don't tell me you managed to Vanish all the bones in your arm! Well then, let's see what you managed to do to yourself this time." An Indian woman in a dark red sari trimmed with gold thread bustled out, looking harried. There were muffled titters from elsewhere in the room. It was a running joke with most people in the school (Frizzle was quite well-known) that the wild-haired redhead would single-handedly cause the beloved Dr. Vaidya to have a near-fatal stroke or heart attack before the year was out.

"Hello, Dr. Vaidya," Val said cheerfully, holding out her hands for inspection. "Sorry, I know I promised to try to stay safe for four days in a row, but I was helping Mur-uh, my cousin Katrina with her Potions homework. She forgot the armadillo bile. I had to neutralize it with caterpillars. I think I cracked my left greater multangular and my right first metacarpal."

The woman put her hands on her hips and glared at the freshman, tut-tutting at the story. "Of course you did," she said acerbically. The girl quailed under her fierce gaze. "The impression I have of you, young lady, is that your curiosity will be the death of you one day. Do you recall what brought you here two days ago?"

"Yes," Valerie said meekly. "Electricity burns and nerve damage." But it had been such fun before she'd had the brilliant idea to turn up both the current and the voltage!

"And three days before that?" she persisted relentlessly.

"Concussion. Hairline fracture to the skull." At least that one hadn't been completely her fault. She'd gone exploring in one of the more volatile passages to try to determine a pattern in its shifting when it had moved while she was in it and cracked her head against solid rock...okay, so it had been her fault. But how was she to know that?

"And eight days ago?"

"Hey! That one wasn't my fault!" Friz protested.

It was useless. "No, I don't suppose it was," the doctor replied, her voice dripping with icy sarcasm. "How silly of me. I forgot that taking a walk on the roof with your friends when they ask you to demonstrate the laws of gravity, which leads to you jumping _off_ the roof and breaking your ankle, wouldn't be your fault at all."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? By the end of this year I'll know every spell and potion you use and be able to treat myself."

"Oh, Merlin forbid," said the nurse, finally retrieving her wand. "Speaking of which, why didn't you do the _Episkey_s yourself? They're just hairline cracks at worst, and you know that spell well enough. You can accurately self-diagnose, for goodness' sake. And don't give me that 'I didn't want to botch it using my left hand on my wand hand' business. I know you're ambidextrous."

"Uh, it would've hurt a lot to move the wand properly?" she offered feebly. Then she tried again. "I could've damaged the bone more, and that'd require something more advanced to fix it?"

"Well, at least you're sensible enough to realize _that," _Dr. Vaidya muttered, casting the required _Episkey _spells on the redhead's hands with twin flourishes of her wand.

Frizzle grinned as the pain subsided and flexed her hands. "Thanks, Dr. Vaidya, you're the best!"

"Enough with your flattery," the woman practically growled. "You see these gray hairs?" She pointed the the mass of silver intertwined with the black strands. "I have two from each of my three sons. The rest are from you."

"Sorry, Doc," the girl said contritely. "I guess it was a bad week."

"One, no you're not. Two, it was only slightly worse than normal. And three, Valerie, if you ever refer to me by that nickname again, I will refuse to heal you for two whole weeks. That wouldn't be such a threat to anyone else at this school, but it'll be long enough for you to manage to injure yourself at least five times."

"Yes, Doctor. Sorry, Doctor." Frizzle kept her eyes downcast as she fought a grin. This threat had been made for the past three weeks. She knew the kindhearted Indian doctor wouldn't actually withhold treatment from anyone who needed it.

"Now go away. I don't want to see you for...do you think you can manage _three_ days?" Vaidya's voice had a hint of desperation in it.

"I'll try."

"Guess that's the best I can hope for. Get out of here. Don't try any harder to kill yourself, you'll end up actually dead."

Nodding, Val left the infirmary and flexed her hands again, marveling at how they felt as good as new. As she headed back to the common room, she made the decision to try to give the good doctor an easy week; not only would she try harder than usual to remain uninjured for three whole days, but she'd attempt to visit her office only once in the upcoming week.

Looked like she had a lot of reading ahead of her.


	2. Boredom

Whiz of a Friz

Disclaimer: Ms. Frizzle and the related characters are from the Magic School Bus franchise. The spells and the way magic works are from the Harry Potter franchise. Sadly, I own neither, or I would be much richer than I am now.

Hahaha. Poooooor Frizzle. XD

Chapter 2: Boredom

Frizzle was bored out of her mind.

She'd _tried_ to keep her promise to herself, she really had. Which was why, between classes, she'd gone to the library and pulled stacks of books from the shelves to try to find something that piqued her interest. She need not have been concerned; _everything_ piqued her interest. Her plan had worked far too well. Now she was dying to experiment and explore to see if the things in her Potions theory and _Sarah Good Academy: Designing the School_ were really true.

Valerie sighed, carefully put aside the books, and dropped her head into her hands. There was just so much she could be _doing_ with her time. She hadn't been this inactive since she'd had dragon pox when she was seven, and then she'd been so tired that sleep had been a sweet relief.

She ran her hands through her hair, making it frizz even more. Val wasn't in the mood to read science fiction. She had to do something with her hands or else she would surely explode.

The freshman sighed again, replaced the books, and walked slowly back to her room to avoid falling into any potholes the magical building might decide to put in her path. Her mood soured when none appeared. She could have run back to the common room to burn off some energy. Her caution had been for naught.

When she walked into the communal area, everyone there was shocked. Never had they seen the energetic, bubbly, admittedly insane but always friendly Friz in such a terrible mood. They could almost sense the black cloud filling the air, just waiting to flash with lightning and send a downpour that would spare no one from its wrath. People kept shooting her anxious glances and edging away nervously, which only irked her further.

After only a minute or so she couldn't take it anymore. "Stop looking at me like I'm going to blow up!" she exploded, stomping her foot. Her hands balled into fists and her eyes flashed dangerously, going wide with anger bred from acute frustration and boredom. The entire room jumped, alarmed by this new development. There were several people who suddenly realized that they were late for class despite it being a free period, but most watched with mouths ajar. They fervently hoped that the girl would keep her hands away from her wand, because if she started using it only the few seniors present would be able to stop her. She would quickly become the proverbial bull in the china cabinet, wreaking havoc wherever she looked. Though she was unlikely to throw out something truly dangerous, Frizzle did know many spells with nasty effects that would necessitate a stay in the nurse's office.

The one person who was brave enough and a close enough friend of Valerie's stepped forward. "Calm down, Val," Murph said from behind her cousin in a soothing voice that nevertheless had an edge of command to it.

"Calm down? What do you mean? I'm perfectly calm and composed!" Frizzle said in a near-yell, going wild around the eyes and tugging at her hair. Her mind told her she was being immature, throwing a tantrum like that, but she was just so frustrated with the entire world at the moment. She needed something to do. Desperately. So that she didn't end up tearing out chunks of her own flesh out of sheer boredom.

"Give your wand to me, Friz," Katrina said softly. A hush had fallen over the room.

Wand? Valerie hadn't even remembered pulling it out. "Why?" she asked, the word taking a slightly hysterical undertone. The freshman looked at the piece of willow in her hand, puzzled. It was official; she was crazy. Not just laughably so, either. She was thoroughly, certifiably, dangerously insane.

A slow grin spread across her face.

Murph's eyes widened and she stumbled back a step, then narrowed once again as she mustered the remains of her courage. "Frizzle, you okay?"

"Never better," Friz replied, still smiling maniacally. "I was just really bored, that's all. But I'm sure I can change that n—"

_SMACK!_

_"Ouch!"_ Valerie yelped, her eyes filling involuntarily with tears. She tenderly held her hand to her cheek, which was already turning red where her cousin had slapped her. "What on earth was that for!"

Katrina breathed a sigh of relief. "Val, don't you dare do that again. That was terrifying."

"Sorry...I know, I don't know what came over me. I'm just so _bored_, I'm going out of my mind...wait, what are you doing? Ow! Let _go_ of me!" she protested, for her pretty red-headed cousin had grimly grabbed her wrist and all but dragged her out of the common room, much to the massive relief of her fellow students.

"No. I won't. You're coming with me. You being bored is dangerous." The sophomore's face was set into a mask of determination.

"Oh, c'mon, Murph..."

Katrina finally stopped pulling at Valerie's arm, only to turn around and scream in her face. "I mean it! You scared everyone in there half to death! You're the smartest witch in the school, you know advanced spells that even some of the seniors can't cast, and what I saw back there was NOT my kind, caring, energetic cousin!" And with that, she whirled around and resumed her tugging.

Frizzle was too shocked to complain. She hadn't been herself, she knew that. But had she really scared people that badly? Wasn't she allowed to have just one bad day?

Then she realized where her cousin had taken her when Murph called, "Dr. Vaidya? Dr. Vaidya, can you come here, please?"

The Indian woman bustled out. "Hello, Katrina. What can I do for—oh for heaven's _sake!"_ she snapped venomously, catching a glimpse of who else was there. "Honestly, I think this is a record even for _you,_ Valerie! I just fixed up your hands not twenty hours ago! What havoc have you managed to wreak now?"

It was all too much for the girl to bear. She may have been the brightest pupil Sarah Good Academy had ever seen; she might have been naturally bubbly, and mature, and always collected. But even she had a breaking point, and she'd just been pushed past it.

She burst into tears.

Kat and the doctor could only stare in shock for a few seconds; then, as if to some unseen signal, they both sprang into action at once.

"Come here, come on, you're okay. Just sit here. Come on, Valerie, sit on the bed now. What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"Friz, look at me. You're okay. You're okay."

The nurse had only once seen the bright young girl cry, and that had been different. When she'd come to her office with a fractured cheekbone from doing Merlin-knows-what, the freshman's eyes had teared up, and that was it. She could deal with pain. She had to; she was clumsy enough. So what had caused her to sob like this?

Friz shook her head, massive sobs racking her body. "N-n-no," she stuttered, hiccuping. "I tried, I really did. I w-w-w-was on my b-best behavior. I d-didn't do anyth-th-th-thing dangerous s-so I'd only have to come here once next w-w-week, and n-not in the next th-three days. B-but I was so bored, I went crazy, I can't d-d-d-d..." She sobbed again, then drew a shuddering breath. "Can't do it. I h-have to d-d-_do_ something."

The Indian woman's eyes widened. "Valerie, you are the strangest person I've ever met. And that's saying something." She shook her head. Frizzle just nodded. That, at least, the girl was used to. "You break bones on at least a weekly basis and always come to me ready with smiles and jokes and tales of your adventures," the doctor continued. "You self-diagnose extremely well and have no fear. The one time you start bawling, it's because of boredom..." Dr. Vaidya sighed. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Find her something to do," Murph suggested. "A bored, frustrated Friz with a wand's terrifying. No wonder she keeps busy."

"Teach me," Frizzle said suddenly.

"W-what?" Both her cousin and the nurse looked shocked and confused.

The Friz's eyes were rimmed with red, but there was something else there too: a desire, a hunger for knowledge. It burned hot and bright, causing her self-pitying sobs to die down. Her breathing was still erratic, but steadying. "I don't want to cause you trouble this semester. But I'm also bored out of my mind and am going crazier than I already am." The freshman even cracked a small smile, but there was a desperation in her gaze. "So teach me everything you can. I'll come here and help out. I already know the basics, I've been here enough to pick stuff up."

"That's...not in school policy," Dr. Vaidya said reluctantly. "I'd love to have you help out, but I'm not sure about the principal."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Frizzle seemed to have almost forgotten her former frustration and was bouncing on the bed in delight.

"I can't promise anything!" the Indian woman said, panicking. She didn't want to get the girl's hopes up, only for the principal, Mr. Ruhle, to dash them. He was a fairly young man and quite modern, so there was a chance that he'd agree to it, but it was nowhere near certain.

"I'll take care of Mr. Ruhle," the frizzy-haired girl said confidently. "He'll let me. I'm sure of it."

"Tell 'im your health would be compromised otherwise," Murph muttered under her breath. Friz elbowed her. "Ow! It's true though," she continued, dancing out of harm's way before her cousin's bony elbow could find her ribs again. "Come on. You get injured doing anything else, and you remember what almost happened when you tried not to do anything."

"I might tell him that," she admitted with a slightly watery smile. The freshman stood, wiped her tears away, squared her shoulders, and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Dr. Vaidya demanded.

Frizzle raised an eyebrow. "To talk to Mr. Ruhle, of course."

"Now?" Murph practically squealed.

"No time like the present!" And with that, Valerie was gone, her curly red hair bouncing on her shoulders.

The Indian woman and the Southern girl just stared after her before Katrina cleared her throat. "I almost feel bad for him."

The nurse nodded, then went about her business, shaking her head at the thought of what the injury-prone girl was going to do. She got points for sheer audacity if nothing else.

**Hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Planting the Seed

Whiz of a Friz

Author's note: Sorry this took so long. I got stuck on how the interaction between Frizzle and Dumbledore's painting should go. I was helped along by the idea of adding another fandom to this crossover—and no, I'm not telling you what it is, you'll find out soon enough! ;)

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine. I just like to put worlds together in a hopefully interesting fashion.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: Planting the Seed<span>

Frizzle thought about marching directly up to the principal's office, but since it was her first chance to release the energy she'd bottled up for two whole days, she decided to see if she could get there using the secret passages that opened up every once in a while. She knew the school better than any student, but as the Academy was still settling down and resolving its disagreements between architecture and magic, nobody could predict with any reliability if the side tunnels would exist or go to the same places from one day to the next.

The freshman ran down the corridor, ignoring the funny looks she got from the few other students that were occupying it, and let out a whoop. The sound of a man chuckling from behind her, however, caused her to skid to a stop and turn to find the source of the sound.

The laughter had come from a painting that hung on the wall. It was startlingly realistic. The man was old, but majestic; silver hair fell to his lower back, and his beard was almost as long. A plum-colored robe peeked through it. "Hello again, Valerie," he said politely, the only evidence of his previous laughter being the twinkling in his blue eyes, magnified by half-moon spectacles.

"Professor Dumbledore," she replied with a nod, a wide smile lighting up her face.

The painting was new, having just been hung on the wall within the past month or so, after making sure the hallway was reasonably stable. Already it was Friz's favorite. He (the person on which the painting was based, of course, not the portrait himself) had been instrumental in the founding of Sarah Good, going so far as to donate large sums of money for the construction and the initial hiring of teachers and staff members, but being a busy wizard, he'd only recently had the time to sit for a portrait.

"I see you are no longer on probation."

Val's eyebrows rose. "How'd you know about that?"

The painting of the Headmaster of Hogwarts inelegantly snorted, causing the student to burst into a fit of giggles. "Come now, miss Weasley—or should I call you miss Frizzle? I am the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Order of Merlin First Class...give me _some_ credit. When I saw you during the past two days you were glum and actually calm. Your fellow students gave you a wide berth. You walked slowly and carefully through the halls. You never muttered to yourself about experiments. You never showed up with any injuries, which was highly unusual. If you have nothing to do all day but watch and listen, and occasionally visit other pictures, you get very good at following the mood of the student body and seeing where the tension is highest." At the gleam that was beginning to grow in the young student's eyes, he quickly added, "It's not something I can teach, Valerie, just something you might acquire with life experience!"

Val made a face at the venerable subject of the portrait, who chuckled at her cheekiness. "It's not fair," she groused, not too intent on sulking, but complaining nonetheless. "I want to learn _everything_, and I want to learn it _now_."

The Professor raised an eyebrow at her. "On the contrary, miss Frizzle, I think it's quite fair. You're stuck learning on the slow path just like everybody else. That's what makes it so remarkable when someone ends up accomplishing so much. And you are a remarkable young lady who no doubt will go on to accomplish quite a bit, even while staying on the slow path."

Valerie couldn't decide whether to smile in gratitude or pull another frustrated face at that.

After a slightly awkward couple of seconds of silence, the wizard in the portrait cleared his throat and took another stab at conversation. "So where are you headed at the moment, Valerie?"

The red-headed freshman recounted the tale of how the desire to keep herself uninjured for Dr. Vaidya's sake had led to her boredom driving her more insane than usual, then detailed her plan to ask Mr. Ruhle's permission to be Dr. Vaidya's assistant. When she'd finished, she paused for a second, then asked, "D'you think it'll work?"

The Headmaster looked doubtful. "Honestly...no, I don't. Dr. Vaidya is a fully competent school nurse who is well-versed in both wizarding and muggle medicines. She doesn't particularly need the assistance. Your principal would see you as a liability, not because of your lack of talent, but because you are inexperienced and somewhat reckless—a dangerous combination in a medical setting. Mr. Ruhle might trust you to try to be careful, but his students' health and safety is not something he would be willing or able to risk."

Frizzle's face fell. "But...but I can still _ask_, can't I? I just want to learn what to do. How can I learn if nobody is willing to teach me?"

"Nobody is willing to teach you _yet_," Dumbledore pointed out calmly. "I'm sure that in a few years, once the world feels that you are mature enough to handle the responsibility and not put anyone at risk because of your penchant for experimenting, people will be clamoring to be the ones to groom you for greatness. You're...what, fourteen, fifteen?"

"Fourteen," came the subdued reply. "Fifteen in two and a half weeks."

"Almost fifteen. You have the rest of your life ahead of you." Professor Dumbledore shook his head fondly, eyes twinkling. "And witches and wizards tend to live quite a bit longer than their nonmagical counterparts. I have a feeling Mr. Ruhle will say much the same thing: if you really want to study medicine, you can go to school for it after you finish your education here at Sarah Good. Otherwise he wouldn't be a responsible headma—er, principal, sorry, different terminology in America. I don't think you should even ask him."

"Why not?"

"It'd put him in a difficult position. He likes you immensely as a student, you're brilliant and hardworking and inquisitive and respectful, and he wouldn't want to hurt your feelings. But at the same time he'd have the safety of the rest of the students to consider."

Frizzle nodded reluctantly, seeing the Headmaster's logic. "Then what do you suggest I do to keep myself occupied? I'm bored out of my mind, and that's pretty dangerous too. I need to _do_ something. Actually, at least two things, one with my mind and one with my hands. Any ideas?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips thoughtfully. "How much do you know about muggle science?"

The redhead's face lit up enthusiastically. "A lot! Some of it's totally wrong, of course, but a lot of it's brilliantly mind-blowing. Like all that about how energy and matter are actually the same thing. And how they figure out these simple equations for how the world works, and then test them, and it turns out that it's so elegant..."

He smiled indulgently, letting the freshman ramble on, before gently interrupting her as she was taking a breath. "One more question for you. Nobody's figured it out yet, which should interest you if you choose to investigate it...how do magic and muggle science fit together?"

Valerie's mouth worked for a second before she scrunched up her face in thought. "I...I haven't really thought about it much. I guess they don't at all, not really."

"But the muggle solutions to how the world works are so elegant and simple. Why should they stop working when magic is involved?" He raised his painted shoulders in a shrug, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "If anyone in this school can figure out if there's any connection, it's you. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But think on it. You might just hit upon something marvelous."

The Friz's gaze was distant and distracted; behind her eyes, her quick mind whirled at a dizzy pace. Why hadn't she thought to ask that question before? _Could_ magic and science have a single unifying theory? Most members of the wizarding community stayed away from the theory behind muggle technology and ideas, which was probably why there was no conclusive evidence either way at the moment.

The painting of Albus Dumbledore chuckled softly. "I guess you've found your newest project."

* * *

><p><strong>This is a bit shorter than it could've been, but oh well. I think it sets the stage rather nicely for what I have planned for the very near future. Any and all feedback is welcome! <strong>


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